Jaguar Land Rover has announced 4,500 job cuts in the UK.Credit: Christopher Furlong /Getty Images Europe

Jaguar Land Rover refused to offer British workers jobs at its new plant in Slovakia on Friday, as it emerged that Theresa May’s Brexit deal would leave Britain powerless to prevent EU countries offering cash sweeteners to companies to move production out of the UK.

Bosses at the company are targeting £2.5bn of cost cuts after JLR slumped to a £354m half-year loss in the face of falling sales as the company faces a barrage of problems ranging from plunging sales of diesel cars,…